The right-wing protest movement that amped up during the final debate over the health care reform bill in the House has stepped up another notch, according to one of the most senior black lawmakers in the Congress.

In an interview with CNN tonight, House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC) said that his office had received a fax that depicted a noose.

Clyburn told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that the Republican leaders were partly to blame for the extremist rhetoric (and now imagery) that has been flying at Democratic members directly before and after the health care reform vote.Clyburn called on Republicans to step in and call out the extremist.

“I have seen this before,” Clyburn told CNN. “These kinds of things happen when people in positions of authority do not do what they do to tamp this down.”

“We are giving aid and comfort to these people,” Clyburn said, referring to Republican members who Democrats say cheered when protesters shouted out in the gallery during Sunday’s voting. “This stuff gets ratcheted up.”

Clyburn said it was time for leaders of both parties to “come together and tamp this foolishness down.”

Here’s the video:

And here’s video of Clyburn earlier on MSNBC, calling out Republicans for their role in the anti-reform fervor.